Friday, September 26, 2008

Tutankhamun. (in progress)

Tutankhamun, or King Tut, is most likely the most famous Egyptian ruler. His name is renown beyond Egypt, and he even has his own exhibit. It is believed that Tutankhamun ruled Egypt between 1334 and 1325 BC. He was probably the 12th ruler of Egypt's 18th Dynasty.
Tutankahmun (Tut) was not given that name at birth. His father, Akhenaten, named him Tutankhaten, after himself and the god of the sun disk. Tut changed his name in the second year of his name to Tutankhamen to show reverance to Amun, his main god. Another thing that his father did that he changed was the introduction of monotheism. He did not believe in this as his father did.
He was only a young boy, so his reign was taken over by advisors. Older, wiser officials told him what to do and led him in the right direction. He restored all the temples his father destroyed. And was the keeper of peace.
At age 18, he was murdered. Many people believe that this is what happened because his skull was smashed and only one person was close enough to hurt him. His reign was not exactly significant, he is most famous for his tomb and artifacts which were virtually intact. Most tombs fell to grave robbers. His tomb was found by an archaelogoist named Howard Carter in 1922. His grave was located in the Valley of Kings.
King Tutankhamen has a rather famous name. A museum exhibit, numerous websites and extra special care for his artifacts are just a few tributes to this great king. His reign will be renown for years to come.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Ramses II

Ramses II is one of the most renown pharaohs of his time. He was the third pharaoh that ruled during the 19th dynasty. Ramses II has been known for his expansive building projects. He also know for his importance in the book of Exodus in the Bible.
Ramses II was born to Queen Tuy and King Seti I. At around age 20 he was given the throne. During his reign, he was determined to overthrow territory in Africa and Western Asia. After a long time of fighting, a treaty was produced. Then, Ramses II agreed to marry the daughter of the Hittite king as a part of the treaty.
Another aspect that popularized his reign was his love for architecture and his lust for power. This caused him to build many monuments and temples such as the temple of Abu Simbel. And some of his more famous work would be the Luxor and the Karnak. These monuments were symbols of his wealth and power. He made it very clear that he was going to make a mark on history.
After reigning for 67 years, Ramses II died. His tomb was located in the Valley of the Kings and
remains empty but, it has been looted and a victim of erosion. Therefore, it is in bad shape, many efforts have been made to get it to a somewhat presentable stage. Although his tomb remains empty, the body has been found. This mummy has been classified as one of the best preserved bodies ever found by archaeologists.
Ramses II was a great ruler in his time. Accomplishing much, he most likely died with a lightened heart. He has out his stamp on history. Ramses II is a rather popular topic when
discussing Ancient History.

SOURCES;
http://www.kingtutone.com/pharaohs/ramses2/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesses_II
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/treaty.htm
http://www.fruitofthenile.com/ramses.htm
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/2815/ramses.html
Oakes, Lorna, Gahlin, Lucia. Ancient Egypt,
Amnes Publishing Limited: New York, 2003.
Hart, Dr. George. Discoveries: Ancient Egypt,
Fog City Press: San Fransisco, 2003.






Friday, September 12, 2008

Pharoah Akhenaten.


Pharaoh Akhenaten was a great ruler of Egypt, in the 18th dynasty. He is best known for the introduction of monotheism in a polytheistic culture. Akhenaten was also also an object of controversy because of his strange mannerism, rumors about his daughter, and his peculiar appearance. This man was very influential in Egypt and is still well-known among historians today.
Akhenaten originally grew up as Amenhotep IV, named after his father Amenhotep III. Amenhotep III was also a pharaoh and his mother was Queen Tiy, making this famly was a royal dynasty. He went by his birth name until the 5th year of his reign. He changed his name to Akhenaten, "horizon of the sun". Setting himself up to be depicted as close the sun disk, Aten. Akhenaten revered the sun disk with such reverence, he decided to close off all other temples and exculde all gods except Aten, intorducing montheism. (source)
This man was also an object of controversy because of his peculiar appearance in art. He was potrayed as having very slender limbs, wide hips, and a proturding stomach which gave the appearance that he was a woman disguised as a man or was born with an intersex condition. Until his mummy was located and researched, no one knew if these abnormalities were literal or not.
At the beginning of his reign, he was married to Nefertiti and had six known daughters; Meretaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaatan (later the Queen Of Tutankahmen, Neferneferuaten-Tasherit, Neferneferure, and Setepenre. He was alo married to a women named Kiya and it has been rumored that his daughter Ankhesenpaatan gave birth to a child of his.
Ahkenaten was a great and peculiar ruler, with quite a lasting effect. His introduction of monotheism was undone at the end of his reign and years later his mummy was found. Ending the story of Pharaoh Akhenaten was his death, which no one is sure of the cause. This interesting man had a lasting affect on Egypt.


online book summary, no publisher/date/city. http://www.heptune.com/art.html
movie source.